New York City Council Demands Immediate Removal of Jordan Mural

The New York City Council adopted unanimously last night a resolution demanding immediate removal of the controversial anti-Israel mural at the Jordan Pavilion at the World’s Fair, At the same time, Alex Rose, vice-chairman of the Liberal party of New York, resigned from the board of the Fair as a protest over the Fair’s policy of refusing to act on the mural.

Councilman John Samuel, a Queens Democrat, proposed that if World’s Fair president Robert Moses ignored the Council demand for removal of the mural, the Council should enact a law to make it a misdemeanor to display on city property material which stimulates prejudice. The City Council resolution called the mural “a source of insult to millions of people in this city, state, country and the world.”

Mr. Rose resigned after a hectic meeting of the World’s Fair board Monday night at which he introduced a resolution to change the Fair’s policy of neutrality on the mural issue. The issue was not debated after the Fair’s attorney said the issue was involved in pending court suits. Mr. Moses, who has rebuffed all appeals for removal of the mural, ruled that the issue could not be discussed. He was sustained by the directors, 59 to 24.

In his letter of resignation, Mr. Rose called the mural “sheer war propaganda–offensive to a sovereign people and to millions of American citizens, Jews and non-Jews alike. Mr. Rose disclosed in his letter that Mr. Moses had told him he intended to “stay with this policy all the way.” He said that this left him no choice but to resign. He added that he was convinced that “a basic mistake has been made by the World’s Fair leadership and should be rectified.”